Overview of Microsoft PowerApps October '18 release

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Important

This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.

PowerApps is a suite of apps, services, connectors, and a data platform that provides an environment for rapidly developing applications and building custom apps for your business needs. Using PowerApps, you can quickly build custom business apps that connect to your business data stored either in the underlying data platform (Common Data Service) or in various online and on-premises data sources (SharePoint, Excel, Office 365, Dynamics 365, SQL Server, and so on). Use PowerApps documentation to get expert information and answers to address your needs, regardless of how you use PowerApps.

The October '18 release provides major improvements across the themes in this list to enable app makers to build higher-quality apps more easily, while still supporting more advanced enterprise and administrator requirements. Improvements in PowerApps focus not only on introducing capabilities but also on simplifying existing concepts to improve maker productivity.

PowerApps platform provides fast, consistent user experience

PowerApps is a best-in-class, enterprise-ready platform that provides end users with fast, reliable, and consistent user experiences across web and mobile devices.

Customers of Dynamics 365 for Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, and Project Service, as well as IT and ISV apps, can use the Unified Interface for adaptable, performant, and responsive experiences that provide the functionality users need. A unified mobile player also provides a single place to find and launch model-driven and canvas apps built by Microsoft, ISVs, and IT departments.

Enterprise-grade platform for administrators

PowerApps makes maintaining and managing apps across your organization easier than ever before. The Power Platform admin center offers admins and partners a more reliable, unified experience to manage storage capacity, environments, and deployments. Powerful analytics empowers admins to investigate and diagnose issues with their deployments, and the integrated Help & Support experience allows admins to find the help they need and escalate to Microsoft support when necessary.

Capabilities for app creators

Following up on the April 2018 release, the creation experience for model and canvas apps, as well as Common Data Service, received significant updates. These updates enable a broad set of use cases for productivity apps through Office 365, in addition to deep business-app customization and creation with Dynamics 365.